Not so much "Photo of the day" but "Photo of yesterday".... have only just had chance to post it now as I had a bit of work cloning out a wire fence, it is a picture of some cow/buffalo from Africa at Marwell Zoo, I really like this one so that is why I am posting a bit late

Shot with the 70-200

Last edited by Defiance on Tue May 27, 2008 10:58 am, edited 1 time in total.

WOW! syncraharmony, I am so impressed with this beautiful shot great job! Love the cool green shady, and the motion in the wadda...egggggselent....

I am afraid to report I hada disturbance in the force....took my camera to get the sensor cleaned up...(got some good Joshua Trees, and will post them...sorry to make you wait), but I had a chunk of crud on that sensor that was buggin me beyond words...while taking the photos, the wind was blowing, sand and silt, and although I tried my best to protect the camera, it did get some dust ...could not ignore the quality of the photo and would not post one on this good thread with dust spots...lol..I will post one for you calmac, soon as I get the camera back..Joshua Trees are way weird, and cool...they only grow in the deserts of California, and into Arizona/New Mexico..(both states in the south west of the country) I want to say they are in the cactus family, but will wait for Lah or Bob to google that...lol..(because they do that better then I do, for sure...)
waiting to see what turns up here today, and waitin for some quackage, too...I did not forget, I just had a delay!!

Range
Joshua Tree grow in the Mojave Desert of southwest California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona, at elevations from 2,000 to 6,000 feet.

Habitat
The Joshua Tree likes dry soils on plains, slopes and mesas, often growing in groves.

Flowers
The Joshua Tree has Bell-shaped, 1.25 to 1.5 inches with 6 creamy, yellow-green sepals. Crowded into 12 to 18 inch, many-branched clusters with an unpleasant odor, mostly in the spring. Not all Joshua tree flower annually.

Description
The Joshua Tree, the largest of the yuccas, grows only in the Mojave Desert. Natural stands of this picturesque, spike-leafed evergreen grow nowhere else in the world. Its height varies from 15-40 feet with a diameter of 1-3 feet.

Originally thought to be members of the Agave (Century Plant) Family, the Joshua Tree and other yuccas have been reclassified as members of the Lily (Liliaceae) Family. Two variations of the Joshua Tree are classified as J. brevifolia var. herbertii and J. brevifolia var. jaegeriana

Joshua trees (and most other yuccas) rely on the female Pronuba Moth (Tegeticula) for pollination. No other animal visiting the blooms transfers the pollen from one flower to another. In fact, the female Yucca Moth has evolved special organs to collect and distribute the pollen onto the surface of the flower. She then lays her eggs in the flowers' ovaries, and when the larvae hatch, they feed on the yucca seeds.

Without the moth's pollination, the Joshua Tree could not reproduce, nor could the moth, whose larvae would have no seeds to eat. Although an old Joshua Trees can sprout new plants from its roots, only the seeds produced in pollinated flowers can scatter far enough to establish a new stand.

Mormon pioneers are said to have named this species "Joshua" Tree because it mimicked the Old Testament prophet Joshua waving them, with upraised arms, on toward the promised land. This unique species grows abundantly at Joshua Tree National Park in California and Joshua Forest Parkway in Western Arizona.